Arakk "Self & Distance"

From time to time, from all the requests I get in my inbox, few really have that power to surprise and overwhelm me at a first audition. One of those cases is precisely the band I'm going to talk about next. Arakk, a funeral doom band from Copenhagen, Denmark. Arakk is Jesper Christoffersen (guitars/vocals), Kasper Ralsted Jensen, ex-Hexis, founded Hexis along with Filip (the singer) and Simon (the drummer) back in 2010, (guitars/vocals), Nicholas R. Tesla (bass), Johan Trærup (drums), Aske Øland Kjærgaard (synth/programming) and featuring guest vocal by the beautiful Ayo Krohn Mikkelsen.

Arakk initially formed back in 2012 and have been playing a handful of shows in the Copenhagen underground scene since then. The band has finished recording, mixing and mastering some of their material and now have put out one of their songs called "Self & Distance" recorded last fall. According to them, they have been working on that specific song and some other material for almost 1.5 years now - because it takes a lot of time and patience to make a long, powerful and honest doom metal song. Well, the result is a sight: a majestic track with almost 25 minutes length that leads us into a beautiful introspective journey into the most bleak and sorrowful landscapes of funeral doom.

"Self & Distance" is a monster that awakes in a very slow, soft and calm atmosphere, and as the heavy mournful riffs are thrown almost in slow motion, we begin our journey through this desolate land. If you think that when facing a funeral doom song with nearly half an hour length, that it becomes monotonous, you are mistaken. There are times when the pace seems to deviate from that most funereal pace, progressing a bit more toward its peak, until it suddenly stagnates and calm the waters. We are in the center of this storm and suddenly we start getting surrounded by this mystical fog that seems to be brought by the magical voice of Ayo Mikkelsen. Her appearance delivers a total magical aura to the song, until we are pulled out to the final minutes that curiously, seem to suggest a sequel to this track.

I can only imagine that if the band had another two or three tracks with the same quality as "Self & Distance", then we are about to face the rise of one of the best contemporary doom acts coming from Europe. Amazing track from this band, extremely well executed in every aspect of it. Absolutely recommended for fans of Evoken, Mournful Congregation, Esoteric, Faal, Monads, etc.

For new updates, follow the band through their Facebook page here. 

Self & Distance

Serpents Lair "Demo MMXIV"

Fresh new black metal straight from Denmark. Serpents Lair are a "mystery band" that make their first appearance straight from nowhere with their "MMXIV" demo. I really feel some Svartidauði and some Deathspell Omega influence here and besides that Serpents Lair sound reminds also a bit of Iceland's Carpe Noctem.

When you'll listen to both track on this Demo, you'll see what I mean. When I started hearing the tracks, I was afraid this was another copy-cat of the bands aforementioned, but the more I sank into them, the more I felt this is really Serpents Lair sound and identity. And to be honest, I really like their sound, the whole construction of the tracks, the whole unexpected turns within the tracks, from a more slow and agonizing moments to a crescendo of brutality that leads into pure misanthropy.

Great debut from Serpents Lair, look forward to hear more from them in a near future. Besides that, a shout-out to all labels, the band is seeking someone interested in releasing this great Demo in physical format (tapes specialized labels take note!) so, if you're interested, get in touch, follow Serpents Lair through their Facebook page.

Into the serpents nest